After He Cheats
by Cakedecorator
Summary: Marinette dumps her cheating ex and is hurt almost beyond repair! To help her vent, the girls drag her to a karaoke bar and make her sing her pain out in a healthy outlet. But her heartrending performance catches the ears and eyes of a blue-eyed beau in the audience, and as he senses the pain she's in, he approaches her with nothing but noble intent. Lukanette, Songfic, Rated T


**Okay, here's another song fiction for everyone! Lukanette's the pairing here, and here's the plot line: Marinette's boyfriend cheats on her AGAIN, so she dumps his sorry butt and then goes out to karaoke with Alya and the rest of the girls to help her cut loose and vent. But her turn singing on stage catches the eyes - and ears - of a certain blue-haired man in the audience.**

 **And the boyfriend in question here is NOT Adrien, nor is it Nathaniel... No, it's not Théo, either. It's someone else entirely, a complete stranger, and he isn't going to appear on-screen. Trying not to turn nice guys into cockroaches in this one.**

 **Songs included (either in full, partially, with or without modified lyrics, or just a line or two):**

 **"Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood  
"Somebody That I Used To Know" by Goyte  
"Our Love Is God" from "Heathers: The Musical"  
** **"Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes  
"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen  
**

 **The former song is about how you'll make you ex think twice before cheating, but this story answers a question: what happens _after_ he cheats? In Marinette's case, it's simple: she dumps him like old trash and moves on, but not without carrying any remaining baggage. **

* * *

A woman with short black hair, blue eyes, and fair skin was bawling in a pillow while wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt, and had a tub of ice cream sitting in front of her. Sitting next to her was her best friend, a woman with dark red hair, tan skin, hazel eyes, glasses, and a beauty mark. They were in their shared apartment.

"He's _real scum_ , you know that, Marinette?! Total garbage!" The redhead said, trying to comfort her BFF.

"I-I... I know, Alya," Marinette said, her nose congested from the crying and sobbing heavily. "B-B-But when we started dating, he... He... _made me so happy!_ "

Marinette started crying into her pillow. Alya put her hand on her best friend's back and rubbed it to make her feel better.

Marinette had just dumped her boyfriend's sorry ass about half an hour prior, and she was heavily broken up over it. To summarize, Marinette's ex cheated on her... _AGAIN_. And that wasn't even the most revolting part! Marinette knew that her man was an unfaithful prick, but it didn't really sink in until after he decided to go and screw around with both Chloé Bourgeois _AND_ Lila Rossi on two separate occasions. Her two worst enemies in her lifetime, both of whom made her life miserable in school and _still_ couldn't help but rub salt in the wounds later on in life. Marinette took the high road and put the past behind with those girls behind her, but the fact that her now ex-boyfriend got cozy with those two demonic witches made her want to choke up all the ice cream she had just binged on.

"I get it, Marinette, but you were right to dump him after this." Alya said.

"B-But... What he said about me after I ended it... He... He... _He was right!_ " Marinette cried as she continued sobbing her eyes out, tears streaming down her face. "No man will _ever_ love me!"

"Oh come on, that's stupid! He was just saying that because he got caught and was trying to make you feel guilty about it. And you can't just let kissing _one toad_ ruin your entire love life!" Alya said, trying to talk some sense into her best friend.

Marinette sniffled to try and calm down, and she said, "Easy for _you_ to say. You and Nino have been together since we were, what, fourteen? And next to Ivan and Mylène and my parents, you two've got the healthiest romance _I've_ ever seen in my life."

Alya's phone started going off and she picked up the device. She said, "Speak of the devil; it's Mylène."

"Take it." Marinette said as she just buried her face into her pillow.

"Hey, Mylène," Alya said. "What's up?"

 _"Ivan's working late tonight, so I thought that maybe we could have a girls' night out at karaoke? All of us GF's?"_ Myléne suggested over the phone. _"How about it?"_

"Good idea! Perfect timing, too..." Alya said as she heard Marinette start crying again and looked back to the designer.

 _"Is that Marinette I hear crying?"_ Mylène asked.

"Yep." Alya said, popping the "p."

 _"Oh... Is it...?"_ Mylène began, not needing to finish the question.

"Yeah, he cheated." Alya said simply.

 _"Again?"_ Mylène asked, more annoyed than surprised.

"Yeah, not just once, but _twice_ , with both Chloé _and_ Lila on two different days," Alya explained. "Marinette _finally_ dumped his balls in the trash where they belong, but she's totally hurt and bawling over it."

 _"I'll rally the others,"_ Mylène said. _"You just get Marinette to the usual place!"_

"Count on me," Alya said as she hung up the phone and grabbed Marinette's arm. "Marinette, freshen up and get changed. We're going out to karaoke with the girls!"

"A-Are you sure?" Marinette asked. "I'm not in a healthy state of mind right now."

"Of course I'm sure! Myléne's gathering up the girls and we're all going to be here for you! So use this as a way to rant about the breakup to the fullest extent!" Alya said as she stood Marinette up and shoved her to the bathroom to get cleaned up for the night. "No one's going to complain about you venting in song if you're at karaoke and they don't realize it?"

Marinette realized that her best friend was right: she needed to cut loose and rant about her broken heart in a healthy outlet. What better way to do that than sing songs about it in an environment where singing was desired? So, Marinete dove into the bathroom and underwent a change from heartbroken babe to a belle who had it together.

In about half an hour, Marinete stepped out of the bathroom. She'd dressed up in black skinny jeans, black heel pumps, and a white floral shirt that had a pink leather jacket vest with black stitching. She wore a few black and pink bangles on her wrist, and just enough makeup to cover her tear-streaked face.

"Looking great, girl!" Alya said as she snagged Marinette's wrist and they left the apartment. "Let's go!"

Marinette sat shotgun of Alya's car, and they started driving off to their usual karaoke joint where they would often sing with the rest of their friends.

They got inside the bar and saw that the usual suspects were sitting at the usual booth table: Alix Kubdel, Mylène Haprèle, and Juleka Couffaine. The friend Rose was up on the stage, singing in a very rough voice. Marinette had to wince at the sound.

The pair sat down with their friends, and they all gave Marinette sympathetic looks.

"Hey, Marinette, why don't you pick a song?" Alix said as she handed the table's tablet kiosk over to Marinette.

Marinette needed to vent, and in song at a karaoke bar was one of the best ways to go about it. She saw that she only had a few other people ahead of her, too, so she would be able to do it sooner than she hoped.

Marinette scrolled through the songs, sorting them out by theme, and she saw the perfect one to sing. She smiled, picked the song and put her name in the lineup.

"Oh, that song? Great choice, Marinette!" Alya said as she looked at the selected song Marinette chose.

"Yeah, it'll be great!" Mylene agreed.

Marinette, still raw from the heartbreak, merely gave a nod in agreement.

The emcee got on the stage and said, "Okay, peeps! Time for our next singer to come on stage and croon! Marinette singing "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood!"

Marinette stood up as everyone started clapping and she made her way to the stage to sing. Unknown to her, someone had his blue eyes on her, and for all the right reasons.

Marinette stood up on stage and took the microphone in her hand as the song started to play.

 _"Right now, he's probably slow-dancing with a bleached-blonde tramp and she's probably getting frisky,"_ Marinette sang, keeping her eyes on the audience, primarily her friends. _"Right now, he's probably buying her some fruity little drink 'cause she can't shoot whiskey."_

She was imagining her ex drinking and dancing with Chloé, and knowing how that girl operated, chances were Chloé manipulated him into cheating in the first place. On the other hand, Lila was a slick and effective liar, so it could've been her that he was with, too.

Her voice had gotten everyone's attention, especially the man who had been watching her from the audience since earlier. His eyes were wide for a second, but he smiled and continued to listen, thinking that Marinette was a good singer.

 _"Right now, he's probably up behind her with a pool-stick, showing her how to shoot a combo! And he don't know... I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up four-wheel drive! Carved my name into his leather seats!"_ Marinette crooned, letting all of her emotions out: anger, heartbreak, pain, resentment.

She remembered that _he_ taught her how to play billiards, too, and how happy she felt to be in his arms. That said, thinking about _now_ made her sick to her stomach and she was _not_ about to let him have the satisfaction of having her miss him even the slightest bit.

 _"I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights! Slashed a hole in all four tires! Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats!"_ Marinette sang, really wishing she _had_ done all of that.

Marinette let a few tears slide down her face. Clearly the man in the audience who had his eye on her could see it, and his facial expression was concerned about her.

 _"Right now, she's probably up singing from white-trash version of Shania karaoke,"_ Marinette sang, smiling at the irony of the use of karaoke in the song. _"Right now, she's probably saying "I'm drunk," and he's a thinking that he's gonna get lucky."_

Hah! The idea of her dirty, two-timing ex trying to get into the pants of either a drunk Chloé or Lila burned her up, and only because she thought he was a decent enough guy to know _not_ to take advantage of a drunk woman. No one could consent to _anything_ when they were drunk enough.

 _"Right now, he's probably dabbing on three dollars' worth of that bathroom polo!"_ Marinette sang, before pinching her nose because she did _not_ like the smell of the stuff, and no matter how many times she smelled it, she never got used to it. _"Oh and he don't know..."_

She grabbed the microphone with both of her hands and continued to belt out in song, _"I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up four-wheel drive! Carved my name into his leather seats!"_

The girls were clapping along to the rhythm of the song, and soon everyone else in the room was following along. The enigmatic man closed his eyes and swayed his head while listening to her singing voice.

 _"Took a Louisville slugger to both headlights! Slashed a hole in all four tires! Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats!"_ Marinette sang, really getting into the song.

The girls were really happy to see Marinette enjoying herself in her time of need, and they were all clapping in time with her.

 _"I might have saved a little trouble for the next girl! 'Cause the next time that he cheats, you know it won't be on me!"_ Marinette sang before her eyes leaked tears again. Tears of heartache for herself, and pity for the next girls who ended up falling for her ex's honey-sweet trap. _"No, not on me..."_

The young man who was watching her could tell that she was not just singing the song because she liked it: he knew that she was singing it because it was a song that was perfectly-matched to her emotions in the moment.

 _"Cause I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive! Carved my name into his leather seats! Took a Louisville slugger to both headlights! Slashed a hole in all four tires! Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats!"_ Marinette sang.

The music got quiet and the lights dimmed as Marinette finished up the song.

 _"Oh, maybe next time he'll think before he cheats... Oh, before he cheats... Oh..."_ Marinette sang slow and quietly.

The music soon ended as Marinette put the microphone back in its stand and then she left the stage. Everyone was clapping and whistling in applause, and Marinette went back to her seat with the girls.

"That was amazing, girl!" Alya said with a smile.

"Thanks, Alya." Marinette said as she wiped her tears away.

Alya noticed out of her peripheral vision that Marinette was being watched by the same blue-eyed guy, and he had a smile on his face. Not a smile one would see on a creepy pervert, but a guy who genuinely had a healthy interest her. Alya had the tiniest smirk on her face, thinking that maybe he would be Marinette's new man in the future.

The girls were listening and watching other people sing and perform.

 _"But I don't want to live that way! Reading into every word you say! You said that you could let it go, and that I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know!"_ Another girl sang.

Marinette was having a lot of fun, and she had asked some of the other girls to sing a song or two themselves. That didn't stop them from trying to get her to keep on singing. They all thought she was going to need the outlet. Alya tried to subtly hint that there was someone who was hoping to hear Marinette sing again.

"I'm going to the bathroom, okay?" Marinette said. Alix got up to let Marinette out and Marinette made her way to the ladies' room.

Alya noticed that the blue-eyed man from the audience also got up and subtly followed after Marinette.

"Ooh! I think that guy's got his eye on our girl!" Alya said, pointing him out.

"He's a looker, isn't he?" Mylène commented.

Recognizing him, Juleka asked aloud, "What's my brother doing here? He didn't tell me about any other plans tonight."

"Wait... That guy's your _brother?!_ " Alya asked in a whisper.

Juleka nodded and Rose said, "Yep. That's Juleka's big bro."

Alya face-palmed as she realized this. She just _had_ to think about encouraging Marinette into a potential Girl Code violation, didn't she?!

Marinette was walking to the bathroom to fix her makeup when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and noticed the man from the audience was there. He had blue eyes similar to hers, and the tips of his black hair were a perfect match. He had olive skin, was wearing a white Jagged-Stone t-shirt and a blue jean-jacket. He was wearing black jeans, high-top sneakers, and he had black-painted fingernails and matching gages in his ears. He also had a guitar case on his back. Their eyes met and Marinette couldn't help but stare at this man.

He gave her a small wave and said, "Hi there."

"Hi..." Marinette said, a little surprised at how handsome this guy was.

"You were great out on stage," He said. "You've got some impressive vocals."

"Oh, um thanks," Marinette said, blushing. "And you are...?"

"Luka." He said, introducing himself with a smile.

"It's... nice to meet you Luka. My name's... Ma-Ma... Um, Ma-Marinette!" Marinette said, before her eyes went askance, a bit sad.

"Yeah, I know. The emcee said so, silly." Luka said before chuckling. Marinette face-palmed, embarrassed.

Noticing that she was embarrassed, Luka muttered an apology. Then a few seconds of silence ensued between them.

Looking her over, Luka's had an awkward expression grow on his face and he rubbed the back of his head nervously. He said, "...So, music imitated life for you tonight, huh?"

Marinette looked Luka in the eye and said, "How did you...?!"

"I'm good at reading people," Luka said with a shrug. "The music in your heart was screaming out in heartbreak and the tears streaming down your face during your song was a hint, too."

Marinette blushed deeper and she giggled awkwardly.

"So... What happened?" Luka asked.

Marinette gave a sardonic scoff and said, "You really wanna know?"

"Yeah, if it'll help." Luka said as he gestured to a bench in the hall and the two of them sat down.

Marinette, feeling a sense of safety with Luka even though she just met him, indulged him and sat down on the bench, him sitting next to her.

"Judging by the song you chose, your boyfriend cheated on you?" Luka said.

"Yeah, he did. The bastard... He cheated on me with _Chloé Bourgeois!_ " Marinette ranted, tears continuing to stream down her face.

"Whoa, _Chloé Bourgeois?!_ That bitch? Ugh, you don't know how many times I've had to hear about _her_ ," Luka said, shuddering. "My sister's had to put up with _her_ crap for _years_."

"Me too," Marinette said. " _I_ was always the one she would target the most."

"I can understand why you dumped him," Luka said. "Cheating on you is bad enough, but with _Chloé?_ That's even _worse!_ "

"It wasn't just _Chloé!_ He cheated with Lila Rossi, too!" Marinette said, about to cry again.

"Wasn't she that girl who would spin tons of huge lies? Threatened to make you lose all your friends in school? I'm just glad they woke up before any real damage happened." Luka said.

Marinette nodded before continuing to sob. Luka wrapped an arm around her shoulders and just let her cry.

 _"He made you cry. You ended it tonight. He was the one that wasn't right for your perfect world."_ Luka quietly sang for Marinette, soothing her and helping her sadness flow at an easy pace. Marinette then looked up at him. Luka was giving her a sweet smile.

 _"Go on and cry. But when the morning comes, you'll wash the pain away, and start a brand new day... True love is God."_ Luka crooned as he wiped a tear off Marinette's cheek.

Marinette's heart started to beat just a little faster. And she honestly felt comfortable and safe with Luka. They may have only just met, but he struck her as trustworthy. She had to smile.

Behind the wall of the hallway, the girls were watching the scene unfold. They all had varying levels of "squee" reactions.

"Omigosh, aren't they adorable?!" Rose said, her face just _screaming_ "Squee!"

Alya was the one who was having the same reaction to a lesser extent. Alix and Mylène were looking at each other a little awkwardly, but it was Juleka who seemed to be the least comfortable.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mylène asked. "I mean, Marinette _just_ dumped that prick of an ex. Do we _really_ want her treating Luka like a rebound guy?"

"Yeah, that's what _I'm_ worried about." Juleka murmured.

"Oh come on, girls," Alya said. "Marinette's not like that."

The girls all muttered in agreement, but it was still a legitimate concern.

Marinette's face went from a teary frown to a still-teary smile.

"There's a smile," Luka said with a chuckle. "That looks so much better."

"Thanks, Luka." Marinette said as she wiped her tears away.

"I'd better get back, I want to listen to other people sing," Luka said. "I'll see you back in there... But you might want to double-check your face."

"Huh?!" Marinette began. Instantly, she took out her compact mirror and looked at herself. "Oh _man!_ I look like hell!"

Luka started to laugh, much to Marinette's embarrassment. She then stood up and bolted into the women's room in order to fix her makeup. Meanwhile, Luka kept chuckling as he made his way back to the karaoke restaurant.

The girls saw Luka was heading their way. And realizing they'd be caught, they scrambled back to their booth to avoid his eyes. Once they got back to the table, they leaned in closer to each other and they started talking with each other about the new development.

"So, what do you think?! Luka and Marinette?!" Alya asked, eager to pair Marinette up with someone new and _clearly_ better than her ex.

"I... I can see it, not gonna lie," Juleka said. "But this is my brother we're talking about. Don't you think it's a bit weird?"

"I don't think so," Rose said, bubbly as always. "I never said it, but I always thought that if Marinette hadn't been dating _that guy_ , that she and Luka would be a super-cute pair!"

"That makes three of us!" Alya said.

"Four." Mylène said with a smile.

"Yeah, I can see it, too." Alix commented.

"Really?" Juleka asked quietly.

The girls were all smiling and nodding in agreement, positive that Marinette and Luka would be a great couple. Hell, they were already making plans on getting the two of them together.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Alya said. "Let's not cram em' together too early. Let's let Marinette heal awhile."

"Yeah, good idea." Alix said.

"Agreed." Juleka murmured.

They saw Luka come back into the room and they watched him sit in his chair and take up the tablet kiosk. He scrolled down the list and he made a selection and put himself on the list.

"Luka's gonna sing?" Rose asked, making eye contact with Juleka. "It's been a while since we heard him sing."

"Wait, Luka sings?" Alya asked.

"He sure does." Juleka murmured.

Marinette came back and sat down in her seat, and the girls played dumb and just continued to listen to everyone else sing random songs.

"Alright now let's have Luka on stage, singing "Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes!" The emcee said as Luka stood up.

He walked past the girls' booth, and winked at Marinette. Her eyes widened and she blushed. Luka chuckled in response and then he walked up to the stage and picked up the microphone. The music began playing, but Luka made sure to look Marinette in the eyes.

 _"I won't lie to you. I know that he's just not right for you. And you can tell me if I'm off, but I see it on your face when you say that he's the one that you want."_ Luka sang, keeping his eyes on Marinette.

Marinette's eyes and face became shocked _and_ perplexed when she realized that Luka wasn't just singing. He was singing for _her_.

 _"And you're wasting all time in this wrong situation, and any time you want it to stop,"_ Luka sang, before pointing straight at Marinette and giving her a determined face. _"I know I can treat you better than he can! And any girl like you deserves a gentleman!"_

Picking up the hint, the emcee had one of the light directors move the spotlight up in the rafters so the light hit Marinette. The girls all looked at Marinette and then they backed off to make sure she was the center of attention, like Luka wanted.

 _"Tell me why are we wasting time on all your wasted cryin' when you should be with me instead? I know I can treat you better, better than he can!"_ Luka crooned in his deep, husky voice.

Marinette was blushing at the sound. She never had _anyone_ serenade her before. It was something out a dream. But just hearing this man sing for her and keep his eyes on her was giving her a fluttery, foreign feeling in her stomach that made her feel happier than she'd ever felt when she was with her ex.

 _"I'll stop time for you the second you say you'd like me to. I just wanna give you the loving that you're missing..."_ Luka continued to croon.

Marinette was swooning on the inside. She must've died and gone to heaven because otherwise this wouldn't be happening. There's _no way_ that this handsome guitarist was singing a song just for her.

Marinette couldn't help herself. A goofy smile grew on her face as she listened to his singing. The girls were watching their friend with delight and they were happy she found potential romance in the aftermath of a broken heart.

 _"'Cause I know I can treat you better than he can! And any girl like you deserves a gentleman!"_ Luka sang.

He surprised everyone by jumping offstage and began approaching Marinette. The girls cleared the booth to give Luka and Marinette space with each other.

Luka placed his hand on the table and looked Marinette in the eyes, singing, _"Tell me why are we wasting time on all your wasted cryin' when you should be with me instead? I know I can treat you better, better than he can! Better than he can!"_

Marinette was about to swoon out of her seat and onto the floor. He couldn't be _this charming,_ could he?! He'd clearly be able give fairytale princes a run for their money!

 _"Give me a sign. Take my hand, we'll be fine,"_ Luka crooned. He held his hand out, prompting Marinette to take it. _"Promise I won't let you down."_

She didn't hesitate, snagging Luka's hand. He gripped it firmly, but gently, and he brought her up on stage to dance with her.

 _"Just know you don't have to do this alone. Promise I'll never let you down."_ Luka sang while he held Marinette's hand close to him and kept his eyes on hers.

The girls were going gaga over the scene and were hoping something would happen after they'd finish for the night. On the other hand, they _did_ want to address any concerns about Marinette and Luka dating. One thing they wouldn't tolerate was Marinette treating one of her friend's brother as a rebound guy. That'd be a _MAJOR Girl Code NO-NO!_

Marinette found herself forgetting about _why_ she'd come to the karaoke bar to begin with. What was she so upset about earlier? She didn't remember, and she didn't care either.

Marinette started crying tears of joy as Luka continued to croon.

 _"'Cause I know I can treat you better than he can! And any girl like you deserves a gentleman! Tell me why are we wasting time on all your wasted cryin' when you should be with me instead? I know I can treat you better, oh oh! Better than he can! Better than he can!"_

Marinette began crying tears of joy as the music stopped for Luka. He gave her a charming smile and a wink. Marinette _melted_ at this. Luka and Juleka made eye contact and she made a gesture signaling the two of them to follow her. Luka chuckled and lead Marinette out of the bar area to the hallway again.

Luka and Marinette followed Juleka back out in the hall and Juleka turned back to them and murmured, "Okay... I see you've finally met Marinette, bro."

"Sure have, Juleka," Luka said. "I'm glad to finally meet the girl who's done so much for you, sis."

 _'What?! "Bro?" "Sis?" Am I missing something?!'_ Marinette asked, her eyes bigger than dinner plates.

Juleka and Luka laughed a bit and Juleka said, "Yeah, this is my older brother, Luka."

"Did I say that out loud?!" Marinette asked, covering her mouth.

The siblings laughed before Luka said, "Yeah, you did."

Marinette blushed and sighed, totally embarrassed.

"Okay, this is new..." Marinette said.

"Anyway, now that we're talking about it... I can't have you taking advantage of my brother." Juleka said.

"What?! What made you...?" Marinette asked.

"Listen, I know you're a great girl, Marinette, but... I'm concerned about you and Luka." Juleka murmured.

"Huh?" Marinette asked.

"You and that ass of an ex of yours _just_ broke up. I don't want you to use Luka as a rebound guy." Juleka muttered.

"Ah, I get it," Marinette said, understanding what Juleka was saying. "Of course. That was never the plan, and... I wasn't going to pursue anything with Luka until I was completely ready."

"Glad we got that cleared up. Once you're recovered from this, you and Luka can date." Juleka said before walking back to the booth to meet up with the girls, leaving Luka and Marinette alone.

The two of them stood in silence for a little bit. Marinette was red as a tomato while Luka was rubbing his neck awkwardly.

Okay, so first Marinette found out that this handsome man who cheered her up happened to be her friend's older brother, and _now_ she's just found out

"So... Glad you're feeling better, Marinette," Luka said with a smile. "You wanna go back in and keep singing?"

"Sure." Marinette said and the two of them went back inside the bar area.

Marinette had gotten back on stage, feeling so much better, and she took up the microphone again.

 _"I threw a wish in the well, don't ask me, I'll never tell. I looked to you as it fell, but now you're in my way,"_ Marinette sang as she looked at Luka, who was sitting in a chair next to the girls' booth. _"I'd trade my soul for a wish. Pennies and dimes for a kiss. I wasn't looking for this, but now you're in my way."_

Luka smiled and winked at Marinette as she continued to sing.

 _"Your stare was holding, ripped jeans, skin was showing. Hot night, wind was blowin'. Where you think you're going, baby?!"_ Marinette sang, a big smile on her face.

Luka gave a nod and a smile, meanwhile the girls cheered as Marinette kept going in her song.

 _"Hey, I just met you! And this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe,"_ Marinette sang as she looked Luka in the eyes and she gave a phone gesture with her pinky and thumb against her ear. _"It's hard to look right at you baby! But here's my number, so call me maybe?"_

The girls were now huddling up and they were all talking about the new development.

"So, did you get to talk to talk to them about it, Juleka?" Rose asked.

"I did," Juleka said. "Marinette's not planning on pursuing anything with Luka until she's completely healed."

"That's good," Alya said. "Dating a friend's brother is awkward enough. But dating a friend's brother on _the_ _rebound?_ That's just the worst! That'd make Marinette no better than _him!_ "

That's the last thing they wanted: for Marinette to sink to her ex's level. They knew she wouldn't do that on purpose, but they still wanted to make sure they prevented her from doing it anyway. Better safe than sorry.

"Yeah, glad you got that off your chest before anything started, Juleka." Alix commented.

Luka wasn't paying attention to the girls' conversation, more focused on Marinette's singing.

 _"It's hard to look right at you baby! But here's my number, so call me_ _maybe!"_ Marinette sang.

Luka was enraptured. Sure, he knew she was an amazing singer from her first performance, but _this_ was even better! He kept his eyes glued to the girl. He wanted to hear more, more, _more_. Thus he tuned out everything else around him.

 _'She's amazing!'_ Luka thought.

 _"...And you should know that! So call me maybe!"_ Marinette sang, wrapping up her song.

This time she got a standing ovation, and as far as Marinette's ears cared, Luka's applause was the loudest and most meaningful of them all.

Marinette walked back to sit down. But when she did, she didn't sit with the girls, but with Luka instead. Once she did, she took out a pad of paper and a pen from her purse. She wrote something down on the paper and she put it in Luka's hand. She then stretched herself to reach Luka's ear and she put her lips to it.

She quietly sang in his ear, _"Hey_ , _I just met you, and this is crazy. But here's my number, so call me maybe?"_

Luka blushed at the proximity and the song's lyrics being whispered in his ear, but he smiled as Marinette got out of his space and she stood back up.

"Hey girl, you ready to call it a night? You're looking a lot better." Alya asked as the girls left the booth.

"Yeah, I'm good," Marinette said before turning to Luka. "See you around, Luka?"

"Sure," Luka said as the girls, sans Juleka, left the karaoke bar. "Wow... What a woman."

Juleka giggled and she said, "Yeah, Marinette's something, isn't she?"

"Yeah..." Luka said.

As Alya and Marinette went back to the former's car, Alya asked, "So, you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I am," Marinette said as she sat shotgun. "Hell, I've totally forgotten about that turd."

"That's good," Alya said as she started the car and began driving back to the apartment. "So, see anything happening with Luka in the future?"

"Yeah, I do. Emphasis on "in the future," though." Marinette said. She hadn't forgotten about her two-timing boyfriend, and the pain of the breakup was still there. She wasn't quite ready to just jump into a new romance yet.

"Yeah, you still need time to heal, Marinette," Alya said. "Should we give it..."

Marinette's phone started ringing, and Marinette took the device out.

"Ugh..." Marinette groaned.

"The ass?" Alya asked.

Marinette nodded, declined the call, blocked his number, and deleted him from her contacts. No matter what message he planned to leave her, she was going to ignore it. No more pining after him.

Alya saw what Marinette did and said, "Great job, girl."

"Thanks, Alya," Marinette said, when a text message popped up. "Oh, Luka texted me."

"What does it say, girl?!" Alya enthusiastically asked, keeping her eyes on the road.

"It says, "Luka here. It's hard to look right at you baby. But here's MY number, so call me maybe?" Hahahaha!" Marinette said, before laughing with joy.

"He's a charmer, ain't he?" Alya laughed.

"Yep!" Marinette said as she saved his number in her contacts. "But before I do anything, I need a break from love. Hopefully he'll wait for me for when I'm ready..."

"He will, girl. He will." Alya said as she kept driving.

Marinette sighed and settled into her seat. The heartbreak was raw, it still hurt, and she was not about to forget or heal any time soon. That said, she hoped that at the end of the road, a mop of black, blue-tipped hair and a guitar would be waiting for her.

* * *

 **And THAT'S the end! This is the first time I've written a "post-breakup, finding new love" story, so try to go easy on me with any criticisms, please?**

 **Again, the prick that cheated on Marinette IS NEITHER ADRIEN, NOR NATHANIEL, NOR THÉO! Just trying to remind everyone of the angle I'm working with here.**

 **So, please leave a comment, okay?**


End file.
